Ti, Moriah prepare for annual sectional final showdown

The annual renewal of rivalry between the Ticonderoga (5-3) and Moriah (4-4) varsity football teams once again takes the stage at AuSable Valley High School with the Section VII/Class D title on the line.

The two teams will play in a Halloween special Friday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m. at AVCS.

The Sentinels find themselves in a familiar position, having won the regular season meeting between the two teams by a 31-0 score Sept. 19.

However, it has been the Vikings who have brought home the hardware, capturing the previous two sectional crowns.

Both teams come into the title game off of crossover victories Oct. 25, with Ticonderoga scoring a 20-13 win over Franklin Academy and Moriah scoring a 40-13 win over St. Lawrence.

In Malone, Konner Bruce ran the ball 30 times for 185 yards and a touchdown, while Garrison Hughes had 119 total yards, with 112 and a touchdown coming on the ground. Ryan Trudeau added seven carries and 48 yards.

Meanwhile, Troy Welch ran the ball 15 times for 202 yards and five touchdowns against St. Lawrence. The Vikings had 250 yards of total offense and had interceptions by Ryan Jaquish and Jarrod MacDougal.

Ticonderoga

Senior lineman Cody Shaner said the win against Moriah was a boost for the team.

“That win was pretty big for morale after the loss in the sectionals last year,” Shaner said. “I think our line is really strong and has grown since the season has gone along.”

The Sentinels have shined on defense, averaging 8.8 points per game, tops in the league.

“We may not be bigger than other teams, but we are a fast, smart team, even on the line,” Shaner said.

“We don’t roll over, we go 110 percent every game,” Garrison Hughes said. “The coaches preach if we know what we do, we can go hard every single play.”

“We have been coming together on both sides of the ball,” head coach Scott Nephew said. “This is what it is all about. You can be 0-8 in the regular season but if you win this game, it is a successful season.”

Nephew said his team is ready for the game.

“The biggest challenge is waiting to get to Friday,” he said. “This team is very focused and very mature. They have been here for the past two years.”

Hughes said he wants to change the ending.

“I’m 0-2 against Moriah in the sectionals, so this would be an amazing achievement if we can get this win,” Hughes said. “We have a good feel for each position on the field. We know our assignments as well as the other assignments on the field. We have to keep doing what we have been doing all year and execute that plan.”

“It would mean an awful lot to win this game,” Shaner said. “We just need to execute like we have been all season.”

“If we play our game and minimize mistakes, we should be successful,” Nephew said.

Moriah

The key for Moriah has been improving since their shutout loss at the hands of the Sentinels, which has begun with the offensive and defensive lines.

“When we moved Noah (Gilbo) to the offensive line, it has made a big impact,” head coach Don Tesar said. “He gave us size and a physical player on the line. We were not as physical in game one as we have been lately. On defense, their line opened up a lot of holes for Konner and Garrison. We have to try and move bodies and shut down the running game.”

“We have been practicing picking up the blitz and our blocking assignments every week since that game,” Hayden Fernandez said. “We are looking to make a statement in this game that we are not the same team and same line we were in week three.”

“We have been working on the fundamentals and knowing when to block and who to pick up,” Troy Welch said. “Our defense has the ability to line up and make adjustments. We are going to execute and move them the first time.”

While Moriah knows they have improved, they also know they are up against a tough test in the Ticonderoga defense.

“We have had a lot of the younger players step up in spots that we needed to fill,” Fernandez said. “We are going to put it all together Friday night. We have to give our quarterback time to throw and we have to execute the plays and continue to run on their defense.”

“We need to execute the game plan, stop their running game and play with confidence,” Welch said.